GPC Presentation

Since I was very faithful to this blog during my months abroad, I thought it was only fitting to create my Global Perspectives Certificate presentation as a blog post. It will also serve to wrap up my blog, as I never officially laid it to rest when I returned home to the States. 

The requirements, briefly, of the GPC are as follows:

1. International Experience
2. Academic Coursework
3. Co-curricular Activities
4. Service Activities
5. Final Presentation 

These are the questions that I am meant to answer in my presentation: 

1. How do the international experiences you have gained while pursuing the Global Perspectives Certificate complement and enhance your studies and life here at NC State?
2. What were your perceptions about cultural values and norms in other countries before you began your international experiences? How have they changed as you finish the Certificate? Please include both general ideas and specific examples.
3. Why do you think it is important for students to “internationalize” their studies and everyday lives? How will you continue to do so in the future?
4. Reflect on your experiences abroad, coursework, co-curricular and volunteer activities. What are the “linear themes” you have learned that connect these opportunities? How have they helped you understand the interconnectedness of the world and global affairs?
5. How have the experiences and insights you have gained changed the way you see your own role in this global society?

     During my semester abroad, I took two tourism classes at the Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Murcia. My tourism studies serve as the most obvious example for how the GPC complemented my studies at NCSU. In Spain, I was able to study a topic that I could not in the US. In a way, it helps you to realize that the US isn't always best and that the rest of the world has so much to offer that we simply cannot find in our own backyard. I took my first tourism class at NCSU my freshman year, but was disappointed that there were so few options for study here in the US. My new knowledge and experience with tourism abroad led me to find my muse. When confronted with choosing a topic for my senior capstone course, IS 491, I instantly knew that I would write about some aspect of tourism. Writing thirty-something pages doesn't seem so hard when it's about something that really piques your interest.  Next year, I plan to get my Masters of Anthropology of Travel, Tourism, and Pilgrimage at the University of London. 

     In all honesty, my experiences abroad led me to have quite different perceptions than some of my travelmates. Before traveling abroad, I did not appreciate the United States nearly as much as I do now. Somehow, living in a foreign country has actually strengthened my bond with my home country. Seeing Spaniards painted up in red and yellow, with flags tied to them as capes, made me consider how I felt about the USA. Even though the Spanish economy was doing very poorly, the students truly seemed to care about their country. They were prideful, but also interested in seeing their country improve. I remember a specific conversation I had with some Spanish girlfriends at a sleepover. That's where I learned one of my favorite words, pijamada. We spoke at length about their frustrations with the government, but in a surprisingly hopeful tone. I would say I have always been pretty open-minded/tolerant about others' beliefs and cultural practices, but my trip abroad helped me to appreciate my own. I still think there is great value in understanding our own culture and having a healthy sense of pride for it. 

    My experiences with the International Friendship program, the Language Exchange Program, and my studies abroad, helped me to understand the alienation that one feels when living in a foreign country. Although this feeling was not always easy to process while abroad, I think it was a healthy experience that helped me to understand how others have it all over the globe. The majority of the international friends I made through the International Friendship program were from Asian countries with vastly different cultural values than our own. When we met for the first couple of times, they were so happy and grateful that someone had "let them in". They were so complimentary of my lifestyle ("I loooove your decorations") and so eager to learn more about the "American way of life". At the same time, it was easy to sense their anxiety about living so far from home, and so immersed in a totally new culture.

Halloween in Caldwell 

   
     I felt this anxiety as I spoke with Maria Henriquez, my Salvadoran "culture informant" who worked as a housekeeper in Sullivan Hall. I tried to sponge up as much as I could about her lifestyle, but I could still sense the isolation she felt. She was an elderly woman who spoke very little English, in an English-only world. She worked amongst sometimes-rowdy college students that, surely, she felt disconnected from.

     Now, I have a much better feeling of this isolation, having felt it for myself in Spain. Understanding these feelings have been so utterly important for me, and I am sure they will continue to aid me in my future life and career. This experience lends me a sense of empathy for international immigrants and visitors alike. My enhanced understanding has led me to feel increasingly open-minded and ready to share and learn from others from diverse backgrounds. The people of the world have so much to offer each other!

     This is just one reason why I think it is so crucial for students to "internationalize" themselves.  

My buddy Vidush from Kandy, Sri Lanka

If not to help us in our future careers, "internationalizing" ourselves, can make us more understanding people. We can learn so much interesting stuff from our fellow international students. You really can't know what you're missing until you get out there and figure it out! Simultaneously, we can learn how vastly different and how deeply-similar cultures can be. When I pursue my Masters (hopefully in London), my goal is to continue learning about the cultures and people of the world. I hear that London is something of a hub for international visitors and residents. 

     

     In conclusion, I never would have expected how incredibly diverse Raleigh, and our university would be before attending NCSU. On the bus ride to class every morning, I never knew from what country the person I sat next to might be. Sometimes I would think there were no internationals, until one of my bus-mates answered a phone call in fluent French. After all, internationalizing oneself does not necessitate a trip overseas. In our own backyard, we can become involved in a plethora of international-centric organizations (I'm biased toward the International Friendship Program, but there are so many others)! The International Festival is another way we can explore diverse cultures without so much as a plane ride! Actively seeking to internationalize ourselves fosters tolerance and understanding among diverse people. Sometimes, all that's needed is a simple bridge for us to walk across. 

Puente Viejo en Murcia, Spain